Music, Invention and Society – 8

The Future of Music

Dr Bruno Bower – b.bower@imperial.ac.uk

Dr George Waddell – g.waddell@imperial.ac.uk
 Recording Studios

Capacity to edit recordings important for performers as well as composers

Initial capacity for only large-scale cuts means most music still had to be
recorded in whole takes up until second half of 20th century

Digital recording methods from 1970s eventually allowed overall takes to be
‘patched’ with much smaller segments of material

Any individual notes that are off could also be adjusted following the invention of
pitch-correction in the late 1990s, now possible to use live as well

(Initial versions generated a new timbre, which could be used creatively)

Overall market now favours ‘perfect’, error-free recordings, especially for
classical works

Generates ethical questions equivalent to the use of (say) Photoshop for images
 Reminders

Submit your proposed Essay/Podcast/Vlog
topic via Google Form by 6pm on
Wednesday 15th December

Reflective Diary should be submitted via
Blackboard, due by 4pm on 20th December

Main Assessment should be submitted via
Blackboard, due by 4pm on 7th January